Jerry,
I do some work onthe Wirral. Which is peppered with C/C's.
If you are going to make a living from it invest in some good equipment. There are too many, bascically being busy fools. Take alook in the Globe, there's one chap who's cleaning a three bedder for £75! One chap is parading as a pro using a carpet cleaner from the "henry/george" range.
Confidence is the one thing you need, in abundace, don't "um and arr "on the phone. Be pleasent and ashored and polite. With starting from new don't quote over the phone, visit the people, until you get regulars. Also when you visit you see them and what needs to be done. Not all carpets are the same, no two sofa's have the same amount of dirt, and you'll get the chance for add ons.
Don't align your prices with the cheapest, cleaning a sofa takes at least 4hrs, and it wants to be nearly dry before you leave. Leave it wet for three days, you'll never work in that house again. Believe me I done one woman's who last had her sofa cleaned 10 years ago, she hasn't forgotton who done it, and thought all carpet cleaners were like that.
As for advertising, I find the Y/P is a complete waste and don't let their sales tell you any different.
There are approxiamatly 350,000 people who live on the Wirral, but you only want a small percentage. Not the super rich-their super mean, not the council estates ( no offence to anyone, I grew up on one, but single mothers on benifit don't want your services). You want the people who want quality and will pay for it.
Regards
Catman
